Rajasthan Polls: BJP Brushes Off Protest Impact Ahead Of Elections, Says Tiff Within Family Not Rebellion

At least seven poll aspirants, who were denied BJP tickets, and their supporters took to the streets on Tuesday, even burning the party flag in one instance.

Protests broke out in Rajasthan after the BJP denied assembly poll tickets to several aspirants.

Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly BJP leader Rajendra Rathore on Thursday dismissed "rumours" of a rebellion within the party over the distribution of tickets for the upcoming state polls. The talks of a rebellion started after the BJP announced its first list of 41 candidates for the Rajasthan election 2023.

At least seven poll aspirants, who were denied BJP tickets, and their supporters took to the streets on Tuesday, even burning the party flag in one instance. According to sources, many leaders considered close to two-time Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje were denied tickets for the upcoming polls.

The unease within the BJP prompted the party’s Rajasthan election in-charge Pralhad Joshi to rush to Jaipur to quell the anger of the leaders. Terming the protests an "internal matter of the party", Joshi said that the BJP leadership would talk to the protesters and reason with them."

BJP MLA Rajendra Rathore on Thursday said that everything was fine in the party and that the protests were just minor disagreements that would be resolved soon. "When a choice between 'excellent' and 'best' is to be made, the 'excellent' tend to think about a few things..." 

"BJP is a cadre-based party. The cadre sentiment has changed over the past two days. It will change further and the party will be in one line soon. Cadres will respect the decision of the high command. Tiff within the family is resolved within. It can't be called a revolt... We meet the aggrieved every day and find common grounds to work together," Rathore said.

The "rebellion" in the party grew so strong that BJP MP Devji M Patel's cavalcade was pelted with stones by protesters. Patel was given a ticket to fight the polls from the Sanchore seat in the November 25 elections. The protesters were allegedly supporters of Danaram Choudhary, who had unsuccessfully contested the Sanchore seat on a BJP ticket in the last assembly elections.

To control the damage, BJP’s Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh and other seniors sought to speak with the upset leaders. The BJP has even formed an 11-member panel headed by Union Minister Kailash Chaudhary to look into the matter.

Arun Singh met Vidhyadhar Nagar MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi, who lost the ticket to Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur. There was no immediate response from Rajvi.

[With PTI inputs.]